Saturday, April 30, 2011

My weekend started last night with the Friday night crafters. I worked on my bags, Jennifer alternated between an embroidery piece and ironing home spun fabrics, which Nicole was cutting for the quilts they are working on. We had a great time with lots conversation and laughter. We had an early night as everyone was tired and Nicole was going to work early for some over time.

My sister, Karen, is coming today to spend the day with me. We are going to go to Butler County in Ohio to take pictures. We are looking for that perfect shot to enter in the Butler County fair in July. The sun is supposed to be out and no rain. I am sure that we will see some flooded creeks and fields. Such is spring in Ohio.Work is going well. I am now working from home and I love it. I can start dinner in my crock pot and do laundry while I am working. That is so cool. And next week my free mulch from the city is coming. I sure hope the rain stops so I can get started on my yard work!!

Friday, April 29, 2011

It is hard to believe that April is almost gone and that May is rushing towards us! I live in southwest Ohio and it has rained here, alot. At least 13 inches of rain for the month of April. Everything is greening up and the grass is growing very tall. Today the sun is supposed to be out. I hope I recognize it!!

I have been doing bits of sewing. I have started a new hand piecing project. I found most of it already cut out in my sewing room. I did have to cut out some more background pieces. Good thing I am using bleached muslin, cause I have a bunch of that. I have made the bases of several bags and I am hoping that my Friday night crafters will be interested in doing the quilting on them. Jennifer and Nicole have started making quilts. They have raided my stash of homespuns and they are both making similar quilts using my stash. They are each making queen size quilts and there will be some homespuns leftover for me!!

It is time to start my moon flower seeds. I would like them to be blooming early in the summer instead of late in the summer. They are the most amazing flowers and they smell awesome. And they bloom only at night.

Monday, April 18, 2011

It has been awhile since I have had anything on my design wall. This is the quilt that I have been hand piecing at work and this is the bigger of the two pieces. 18 rows. The other piece is 9 rows and I will be joining them together tonight at my quilt meeting. I have found an awesomely, bright piece of fabric for the back and then I will start hand quilting it. Check out Judy L's to see what everyone else is working on!!

Have you ever thought about what your quilting style is? I have given this some thought over this past weekend and here are my thoughts on it. I have been quilting for over 20 years now and when I started, I pieced every thing on my sewing machine but quilted by hand. I did not finish many quilts at that time. I made mostly wall hangings. That was something I could finish. Then I had kids. Two in fact and that really cut down on my quilting time. I did some cutting, piecing, but not much quilting. I did make clothes for both of kids and built my stash!!

As the years have passed I have found that machine quilting any project is perfectly fine and things get done faster. I am a passable machine quilter and practicing and learning with each project.

But I am finding that I really enjoy hand piecing. I am currently working on a project that I started at work while my computer was clocking. Now that project is almost completed and I have found something else to start hand piecing. I remember cutting this one out when I was in the first building our department started in. That was 3 buildings and I think 13 or 14 desks ago!! I cut a few more background pieces and marked them all and I will probably start on this new project sometime today!!

I am thinking that these two projects along with my flannel quilt which is UFO #4 will all be hand quilted. Of course, it is spring and then summer and it is not the best time to start hand quilting. But I have never been conventional in my quilting style so why start now!!!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Wouldn't you know that when the weather is finally starting to warm up and winter is a thing of the past, I pull out my UFO challenge for April and it is a flannel quilt!! I have the top finished and the backing is done and today I will layer it and start the hand quilting with long running stitches. I will be using black Cro-Sheen yarn for the quilting. My eye is on the prize of having a cozy flannel quilt to use next winter. I know it will be worth it.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

I have been busy at my sewing machine this week. I have finally put together my brown bag challenge. The top is completed and I am going to machine quilt and give it to my sister in law in thanks for doing my taxes.

I also need to hand stitch the binding down and add a sleeve to this project and it will hang in my stairwell going down to the basement. I need to take down the snowmen!! Maybe we would get some nicer weather if the snowmen went into storage for the next several months.

Tomorrow will sewing on doggy scarves for the dogs up the street. I need to make 7 scarves. I can chain sew them and be done in no time.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Tonight was craft night at my house. Nicole is learning to sew and it has been so many years since I learned to sew, I cannot remember what the best project for a beginner would be. So far she has made a scarf for her dog and is working on a tote bag for her grandmother. It is coming along quite nicely. She will be back later this weekend to finish it as her grandmother's birthday is Tuesday.

Jennifer worked on her Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt tonight. She is making flowers right now.

I have been having computer issues here at the house. My zoomtown is running faster on my big computer but it has not changed anything with my other issues. I suppose I will have to do something about it tomorrow.

I brought my hand piecing home from work today and here is the first 18 rows that are sewn together. It will finish at 70" x 81". I am thinking about hand quilting it. That is always a restful thing for me to do.

Friday, April 1, 2011

It appears that the mandatory Saturday overtime is done for now. Yeah!! This will be two weekends in a row. I have big plans for the next two days. Tonight is craft night with Jennifer and Nicole. Nicole has been redrafting the pattern for doggy scarves and it should be done tonight. She has fabric to make 5 more scarves and she just started sewing on Wednesday. No telling what will come out of Jennifer's bag. She always has something interesting to share. I myself will be the bag lady.

Saturday will be a welcome home party for my nephew who is home from Afghanistan, it will be good to see everyone. It has been a long winter. And Sunday will be sewing, sewing, sewing.

The new monochromatic color at Judy L's is Orange. I like orange and I own orange fabric. Just need a few ideas. That will come with time. I am so proud of myself that I got the March UFO challenge finished and delivered.The hand piecing project is now 18 out of 27 rows long. Yeah!! It will become a machine project soon. And then hand sewing the binding down. Maybe it will become a fair project. I need to dig out my book from last year and see what category it will fall into. I did not do anything for the fair last year. There is a category for it if I hand quilt it. And that is an option I need to consider.
Decisions, decisions, decisions!!!